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Key events
OUT!
One brings two! In five balls! They were 137-2, now they’re 175-5 and whether in traditional monochrome or glorious Bazballian technicolor, you just cannot beat an England batting collapse.
REVIEW!
More in hope than judgment, I think.
WICKET! Root lbw b Jadeja 26 (England 175-5)
This one straightens, beats the bat and raps the pad; it looks good to me, and England are doing their thing, India theirs.
45th over: England 175-4 (Root 26, Stokes o) Jazzer from Jadeja, who finds drift and grip to beat Root’s outside edge.
44th over: England 175-4 (Root 26, Stokes o) That was Kuldeep’s 50th Test wicket; well bowled old mate. Stokes sees off the last two balls of the over and so far, so Testvangelists.
OUT!
There was an edge – a thin one, but Jonny thought he’d hit the ground. He hadn’t.
REVIEW!
That came pretty quickly.
WICKET! Bairstow c Jurel b Kuldeep Yadav 29 (England 175-4)
Wickets at regular intervals! Bat well away from body, Jonny appears to edge behind pursuing a wrongun, Jurel pouches and wheels away … then up goes the finger, bowler and fielders certain.
44th over: England 175-3 (Root 26, Bairstow 29) Yeah, Jonny fancies this. He waits for Kuldeep, hauling from outside off over midwicket for six, and anything full, he’s unloading the not-insubstantial suitcase. So next ball he goes again, sending two to deep backward square…
43rd over: England 167-3 (Root 26, Bairstow 21) Looking at that drop again, it’s one of those you see in slowmo and think heh, total slice of urine, but Jonny is especially jonny today, his full corporeality behind every shot, and the power was immense. Anyroad, back in the middle, Root eases away his – and Ronald’s – signature glance through third for four, the only runs from the over.
42nd over: England 163-3 (Root 22, Bairstow 21) I love the energy Kuldeep brings to the crease – and outfield – and he’ll be buzzing off the day he’s had so far. Of course, as I type that, Bairstow clobbers him flat down the ground for six, then cuts beautifully for three more. He’ll be desperate to bag a ton here in order to really show all those who want nothing but the best for him – what a mentality! – then, after Root takes a second single of the over, he hammers back a potential return catch that’s too hot for Kuldeep to hold and he now stands wringing his hands gingerly. Eleven off the over and how expensive might that prove to be?
Thanks Rob and morning everyone. We’re poised.
41st over: England 152-3 (Root 20, Bairstow 12) There are a few oohs and aahs from the close fielders when Root inside-edges Jadeja into the leg side, and again when Bairstow thick-edges on the off side. Bairstow decides to eff that for a lark and drags the next ball wide of mid-on for four. That takes him to 12 from 10 balls.
That’s drinks, after which Daniel Harris will be with you for the rest of the day. Bye!
40th over: England 147-3 (Root 19, Bairstow 8) Kuldeep’s series average of 21.20 is second only to the mighty Bumrah. Ben Stokes’ run out of Jadeja at Hyderabad may have done India a perverse kind of favour. Jadeja missed the second Test; through injury, Kuldeep outbowled Axar Patel and he stayed in the team when Jadeja was fit again.
Two from Kuldeep’s over, which ends with a seriously tempting, flighted delivery to Bairstw. He resists the urge to panel it into the crowd and instead plays an immaculate forward defensive.
39th over: England 145-3 (Root 18, Bairstow 7) Bairstow has started busily. From memory he has looked in decent touch in every game apart from the third Test, which will make him even more frustrated that he hasn’t reached 40.
38th over: England 143-3 (Root 17, Bairstow 6) The new batter is Jonny Bairstow, playing his 100th Test, and he gets his first boundary with a well placed clip past fine leg.
“Pope’s 196 is the outlier in a run of very poor form,” writes Max Williams. “Can’t think of another batsman who’s produced one innings of such sublimity amid such poor returns – although Graeme Smith never passed 40 in the three Tests after smashing consecutive double tons vs England in 2003. Not quite the same though.”
You want a high ceiling and a subterranean basement, Brian Lara is always your man. This is his run of form in 2005-06: 0, 5, 36, 30, 14, 13, 45, 226, 17, 5, 0, 1, 1.
That was a gorgeous delivery from Kuldeep: it was tossed up, inviting a big drive, and turned dramatically between bat and pad to hit the outside of leg stump. Crawley fails to convert again, though he played another excellent knock. Kuldeep, the unsung hero of the series, has his third wicket of the day.
WICKET! England 137-3 (Crawley b Kuldeep 79)
England are no longer in a promising position. Zak Crawley has been bowled by a ripper from Kuldeep Yadav!
37th over: England 137-2 (Crawley 79, Root 17) England are in a promising position – and, for now at least, they have seen off Jasprit Bumrah. Jadeja replaces him and drops Crawley off his own bowling. It was a very sharp chance, one-handed above his head when Crawley blasted the ball whence it came, but he’s such a great fielder that it’s a surprise he didn’t take it.
36th over: England 136-2 (Crawley 78, Root 17) Root seizes upon a rare half-tracker from Kuldeep, spanking it wide of the leg-side sweeper for four.
“Apologies for the multiclaused complex sentence below…” says Tom Van der Gucht. “Following the emergence of Hartley’s all-round skillset and Stokes return to bowling fitness alongside the potential decline of Robinson and Leach’s ongoing injury curse; not to mention the hopeful return of Brook balanced against Bairstow’s lean series with the bat as well as Foakes’ silky glovework and Potts’ county and England Lions form, do you have any predictions about who will line up for England this summer?”
About 15 people. If I were to play Quasimodo, I’d predict this XI for the opening Test against West Indies: Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes, Bairstow, Rehan, Wood, Potts, Anderson. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a completely different attack: Woakes, Hartley, Robinson, Tongue. So much depends on fitness and conditions.
35th over: England 129-2 (Crawley 75, Root 13) Root has started pretty well, though he rarely looks totally comfortable against Bumrah. A mistimed pull goes straight to ground, then he dugs out a yorker. Another maiden.
“You said, ‘I doubt even Stephen Malkmus could get ‘peripatetic’ into his lyrics’,” writes Stephen Nichols. “Cricket fan Neil Hannon managed this beauty in a Divine Comedy song: ‘Daddy drives the mobile library. He works peripatetically’. He’s a genius.”
Daddy?
34th over: England 129-2 (Crawley 75, Root 13) A maiden from Kuldeep to Crawley. England want to attack him, they really do, but they just need one more score like it’s easier said than done.
33rd over: England 129-2 (Crawley 75, Root 13) Jurel is convinced Crawley has tickled Bumrah down the leg side and throws the ball up in celebration. The umpire says not out and India convene to discuss a review. This time Sarfaraz doesn’t want to know – he strolls off with a comical, nah-dunno-mate expression, and eventually Rohit decides against going upstairs. Replays show… nothing. Sweet bugger all. That’s a good non-review from Rohit.
Crawley then softens his hands to steer Bumrah for four. That boundary makes him the first visiting player to score 400 runs in a series in India since Steve Smith seven years ago. Playing a five-Test series helps but that’s still a fine achievement.
32nd over: England 124-2 (Crawley 70, Root 13) Crawley pushes Kuldeep down the ground for a single to move into the seventies. It’s a sign of his ability that he has played a fairly subdued innings of 70 from 90 balls.
“This is a decent start from England, Pope’s skittish self-immolation aside,” says Guy Hornsby. “Fascinating that Jurel called it, he’s a real talent, isn’t he. I hesitate to say it because, well, all the usual reasons, but Crawley really should make this one count. He’s been really good this series but has let a few big ones go. I dearly, dearly hope he does. I was one who didn’t think he should’ve been retained in the side last summer and my god it’s been great eating my words.”
They always taste better when they’re civilised.
31st over: England 122-2 (Crawley 69, Root 12) Bumrah is working Root over with his usual mix of inswing and outswing. Root pushes defensively and is beaten; then he follows Sir Geoffrey’s advice and gets down the other end.
A big inswinger from Bumrah to Crawley flies down the leg side for two byes, with the diving Jurel doing well to save the boundary. Jimmy Anderson will love how much Bumrah is moving the old balll.
30th over: England 119-2 (Crawley 69, Root 11) Crawley is struggling a little against Kuldeep, certainly compared to the other spinners, and again misses a sweep at a ball that would have missed leg stump. But the lovely thing about Crawley is that the false strokes don’t stay in his head. Later in the over Kuldeep overpitches and Crawley threads another immaculate drive between extra cover and mid-off for four.
Crawley’s conversion rate of fifties-to-hundreds is a lowish 24 per cent, so he’ll be desperate to make this count.
29th over: England 113-2 (Crawley 63, Root 11) Bumrah to Root, part two. An inswinger is clipped crisply through square leg for four, though Bumrah thinks it was close and puts his hands on his head. Another inducker is flicked very fine for four, past the diving Jurel at catchable height.
Bumrah is making the old ball do plenty – I think it’s orthodox swing – and the over ends with Eoot getting a leading edge just short of point.
28th over: England 105-2 (Crawley 63, Root 3) Root smiles respectfully after being beaten on the inside by a beauty from Kuldeep. He’s bowling very well, as he has all series pretty much, particularly since that crucial third morning of the third Test.
27th over: England 102-2 (Crawley 61, Root 2) In a surprising development, the arrival of Joe Root means the return of Jasprit Bumrah. He steers a single to third man, which punctures the tension until the next over.
“Rob,” says John Starbuck. “Following your phrase just before lunch…
This is the way we hold the bat,
Hold the bat, hold the bat,
This is the way we hold the bat with an unlikely long handle.This is the way we baz the ball,
Baz the ball, baz the ball,
This is the way we baz the ball in Dharamsala’s first dayThis is the way that England play,
England play, England play,
This is the way that England play on a cold Indian morning.
Why am I hearing that in Gary Neville’s voice?
The replay shows Crawley would have been out had India reviewed. Rohit Sharma smiles and acknowledges Sarfaraz, who had been desperate for India to review.
26th over: England 101-2 (Crawley 61, Root 1) Kuldeep finishes the over that he started before lunch. Crawley pushes at a ball down the leg side that is fumbled by Jurel and brilliantly caught by Sarfaraz at short leg. It’s given not out on the field and, after an animated discussion, India decide not to review.
Lunchtime reading
This is very good. So read it, dammit.
Lunch
The wicket means it will the last ball before lunch. Kuldeep Yadav, who has quietly been one of the players of the series, has taken two important wickets to make it a 50/50 session.
It was a strange morning in that England lost no wickets when they were really under pressure and two wickets when life got easier. Zak Crawley rode his luck but played with increasing authority to make another eyecatching half-century; Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope got out trying to impose themselves on Kuldeep Yadav. Pope has simultaneously had a poor series and played one of England’s greatest overseas knocks.
WICKET! England 100-2 (Pope st Jurel b Kuldeep 11)
Goodnight. Ollie Pope’s weird series continues when he runs straight past a googly from Kuldeep and is stumped by Dhruv Jurel. I suppose it’s not a great shot on the stroke of lunch, especially as he didn’t pick the googly, but this is the way England play.
25th over: England 99-1 (Crawley 60, Pope 11) There he goes; there he is goes. Crawley jumps down the track to drive Ashwin for a handsome straight six. He’s scored 22 from his last 10 deliveries against the spinners.
“Ali is right,” says Daniel McDonald, “Roxette really were into cricket:
It must have been glove, so it’s over now /
I had a review, but I lost it somehow/Lay a whisper on my willow/
Leave the winter on the Dharamsala groundI wake up lonely, due to the peripatetic nature of global franchise cricket /
In the change room and all around
Outstanding. I doubt even Stephen Malkmus could get ‘peripatetic’ into his lyrics.
24th over: England 90-1 (Crawley 52, Pope 10) Crawley laces Kuldeep down the ground for four to reach another half-century, his fourth of the series, from 64 balls. He had a lot of luck against Bumrah in particular but has played some beautiful drives and is looking more comfortable against the spinners.
Right here, right now, Zak Crawley – the man who was ridiculed almost constantly throughout 2021 and 2022 – is England’s best batter. It was just banter though so it’s fine.
“Hello from Dharamsala,” says Tom King. “From almost behind the bowler’s arm at the North end, this pitch looks less quick than previewed and there have been a few that have stopped in the pitch or kept low.
“I think India have certainly been too short, but until Duckett played that unnecessary swipe they were also faced with some pretty obdurate stuff. Crawley especially seems to have come on a lot for someone who claimed he didn’t need to work on a defensive technique. It would be nice to see England bat for a full day…”
Steady on!
23rd over: England 84-1 (Crawley 47, Pope 9) England take nine from Ashwin’s over. Pope flicked through midwicket for three, then Crawley sliced a drive semi-deliberately over cover for four. They’ve been under pressure all morning and they’re still going at 3.645 per over.
22nd over: England 75-1 (Crawley 42, Pope 5) India’s spinners have started well, with excellent control. Do they ever bowl badly? Crawley relieves the burgeoning pressure by threading a classy drive through extra cover for four. Mr Consistent is into the forties agian.
Crawley is not out! It wasn’t close at all and would have missed on both height and line.
It was a classic delivery from Kuldeep, spinning back in from outside off stump. Crawley pushed forward defensively and was beaten on the inside. I think this is really close, though it might be umpire’s call on leg stump.
India review for LBW against Crawley! This looks very close. He might be saved by the height.
21st over: England 70-1 (Crawley 38, Pope 4) Three singles from Ashwin’s over. Both England batters are in their danger zone: Pope at the start of the innings, when he is usually very fidgety, and Crawley in unconverted-start territory. They have around 20 minutes to bat until lunch. I was going to say ‘survive’ but they don’t really think like that, do they. In fact, who is today’s designated lunchhawk.
20th over: England 67-1 (Crawley 37, Pope 2) Kuldeep zips one across Pope and past the outside edge. Another delivery keeps a bit low and is pushed into the leg side for a single.
“Interesting observation about the Indian bowling possibly being just a touch too short this morning,” writes Brian Withington. “If that analysis is correct, I wonder to what extent the prior aggression of England’s openers during this series has contributed to the bowlers not risking a slightly fuller length?”
That’s a very good point. I’ll text JB at lunchtime to ask.
19th over: England 66-1 (Crawley 37, Pope 1) Pope pushes with stiff wrists at his first ball, from Ashwin, which flies just past short leg at catchable height. He’s had the kind of series we may not fully understand for a few years: 1, 196, 23, 23, 39, 3, 0, 0, 1*
18th over: England 64-1 (Crawley 36, Pope 0) That Duckett shot didn’t look great, especially after all that hard work. But I get the impression England feel they have to try to dominate Kuldeep. If he gets into a groove – as he did on the third day of the last two Tests – he can become irresistible.
Kuldeep Yadav has struck in his first over, and all Duckett’s patience was for nothing. Both batsmen had hit boundaries earlier in Kuldeep’s over, Duckett with a superb back-foot straight drive. He wanted more, though, and sliced the last ball of the over high on the air on the off side. Gill charged back from cover, watched the ball over his shoulder and took an outstanding running catch with both hands.
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